Evaporator construction



I Feb. 23, 1932. J. F. HOLMES ET AL 1,846,056

EVAPORATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed June 19. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENTOR.

BY MW m M Feb. 23, 1932. J. F. HOLMES ET AL EVAPORATOR CONSTRUCTION Filed June 19. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIUS F. HOLMES, NEW YORK, N. Y., AND STEPHEN M. MARTIN, 0F MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR-S, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID HOLMES EVAPORATOR CONSTRUCTION Application filed .Tune 19,

This invention relates to. mechanical refrigerating systems, and more particularly to a chilling unit for such a system.

The invention has for its object generally the provision of an improved device of the character described, which is efficient, economical and readily manufactured.

More specifically the object of the invention is to provide a chilling unit which employs evaporating and brine chambers, as sociated in a mechanically convenient manner, so as to provide the requisite cooling characteristics, the unit being at the same time mechanically simple and thermally efficient.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, mainly in elevation, showing the location and arran ement of a cooling unit constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofthe cooling unit shown in Fig. 1 with the front shroud orshield cut away;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the cooling unit shown in Fig. 1, taken in a horizontal plane;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cooling unit;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the brine chamber when removed from the unit;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section of the unit when assembled; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective View showing a detail of the brackets employed.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to 1 to 41, 10 denotes diagrammatically the wall of a refrigerating chamber in which is disposed a chilling unit 11, in-

1928. Serial No. 286,536.

dicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, but shown in full lines in Fig. 2, this chilling unit being surrounded by a shroud 12 having an ornamental front provided With an opening through which ice drawers 13 are inserted, so that their contents ma be chilled.

The construction of the chilling unit, as shown in F igs/iand 6, employs an outer oylin- ClllCttl. evaporating chamber 14 composed of outer and inner cylindrical Walls 1 1 and 14", respectively, drawn together at their ends, as indicated at 1 5, and hermetically sealed.

Associated with the evaporating chamber, is a brine chamber 16, here shown as a separable construction unit. This brine chamber is shown more clearly in Fig. 6 and has inner and outer Wall members 16 and16, respectively, that are joined together at their upper edges and have their front and rear ends closed by end-plate-members 17 and 18, respectively. The inner wall 16 is formed from a single, generally rectangular, sheet of metal which has its end portions bent up from a central portion along two substantially parallel lines so that thecentral portion becomes a bottom portion with the upstanding sides enclosing a generally prismatic space. The outer wall member 16" is formed as an open-ended cylinder having a portion of the side removed, its free side edges being united with the top edges of the inner wall member 16, these edges being sealed in any suitable manner, for example, by welding. The space enclosed between the wall members 16 and 16" is seen to be divided in three 85 main portions, the cross-sections of which appear generally to have the contour of segments of a circle. The end plate member 17 is shaped so as to be inserted between the wall members, and takes the general form of these connected spaces and may be described as a generally U-shaped member. The end plate member 18 is disc shaped and is adapted to fit into the rear opening of the evaporating chamber 1 1, the end plate member 18 having the wall members 16 and 16" secured thereto in such a manner as to centre it properly with respect to the rear opening in the evaporating chamber. The end plate member 18 is thus seen to provide a closure for one end of the 100 space within the chilling unit; this plate being also preferably provided with a removable plug as shown at 19 communicating with the space between the walls 16 and 16", which plug is removed when it is desired to introduce or withdraw brinefrom the space between the walls 16 and 16".

The space between the walls 14' and 1 1 of the evaporating chamber, when in service, contains refrigerant which is constantly being introduced when the unit is in operation while vaporized refrigerant is, at the same time withdrawn. For this purpose the evaporating chamber has flange couplings 20 and 21 secured in the lower and upper portions, respectively, of its outside wall, these flange couplings supporting suitable inlet and outlet connections 20 and 21- for the refrigerant.

The brine chamber, when provided in accordance with the present invention has a diameter for its outer cylindrical wall such as to provide a snug sliding fit between its outer wall member and the inner wall of the evaporating chamber. These sliding walls are arranged to be in good heat-conducting relation when in sliding contact, and to this end the outer wall 16" of the evaporating chamber is preferably made of a metal having relatively high heat conductivity, for example, of copper. In order that the brine chamber when in place may not be readily displaced from the chilling unit, it is desirable that the outer wall 16" thereof should be slightly extended above the upper edges of the inner wall member 16 so as to provide tabs as indicated at 22 which extend upwardly along the inner wall of the evaporating chamber when in place and may be soldered thereto if desired. A fillet of solder for this purpose is indicated at 23 in Fig. 6 of the drawing. a

The chilling unit, composed ofan evaporating chamber with a brine chamber telescoped into the evaporating chamber, is supported in the refrigerating chamber 10 in any convenient manner, for example, by the use of brackets 25, which depend from the top of chamber 10. These brackets are shown as four in number and preferably comprise metal straps having upset upper ends 26 provided with openings which engage with fastening bolts 27 secured in the top wall of the refrigerating chamber. The upset ends 26, as shown in Fig.7, have prongs that are adapted to slip over bolts 27 without having the nuts entirely removed. The four brackets 25 are disposed oppositely in twos at each end of the chilling unit, and have secured therebetween adjustable clamping bands 28 which are adapted to surround and grip the front and rear ends of the chilling unit, respectively, as indicated in Fig. 3. These bands are preferably constructed so that the chilling unit may be readilyinserted or withdrawn therefrom. To this end at least one of the bands preferably has its lower middle portion cut away and the opposing ends 29 thereof bent backwardly so as to be engaged by a cleat-like member 30 which has its ends bent up for the same purpose. On the upper side the ends of the bands are struck up and a bolt 31 passed therethrough, which has an adjustable nut 32 that'may be drawn up so as to draw'together the ends in order to grip tightly the chilling unit disposed within the bands. .The lower ends of the brackets 25 are also turned inwardly and the brackets 25 and have supporting bolts 36- extending outwardly through-their head portions. These bolts 36 have nuts 37 engaging with their outer ends which are applied or removed when it is desired to secure or remove, the shroud from its pos1t1on supported on the bolts 36. As seen from Fig. 3, the shroud 12 is L-shaped'in plan and extends around only two sides of the chilling unit, the dis tance pieces 38 providing the support for one side of the shroud about the chilling unit. The front portion of the shroud is preferably supported also from the brackets 25 and for this purpose have distance pieces 38, preferably four in number, extending forwardly from the upper and lower portions of the two front brackets 25. These distance pieces 38 have bolts 39 extending therethrough which are adapted'to'engage the front portion of the shroud 12. These bolts 39 have nuts 10 thereon for securing the shroud in place.

The chilling unit of the present invention may be used in substantially any type of mechanical refrigerating system, andis here shown diagrammatically as provided with a control valve that may be anrexpansion valve or a float valve where the system is of the so-called flooded type, it being'understood that the position of this valve with reference to the chilling unit may be varied in accordance with the system employed. The control valve is here diagrammatically depicted and shown as a separate element 41 (see Figs. 2 and 3), but may be associated with the chilling unit in a convenient manner, for example, by mounting upon the brackets 25. The casing of the control valve may be of any convenient form, for example, a small, generally rectangular, casing secured to a horizontal strap 4.2 which has its ends 13 twisted into vertical planes and riveted. to'the top portions of the front and rear brackets adjacent to the wall of the refrigerating chamber. The casing of the float valve ll has pipe connections 41 leading downwardly therefrom and connecting with the inlet connections 20 leading to the evaporating chamber.

From the arrangement described it will be seen that the chilling unit of the resent invention is adapted for rapid assem ly from a relatively small number of manufactured units. The brine chamber is first telescoped into place in the evaporating chamber after which the unit is ready to be slung into place in the refrigerating chamber. The four brackets with the attached portions of the clamping rings having been secured in place from the top of the refrigerating chamber the chilling unit may then be inserted, after which the cleats 30 are applied to the clamping bands which are then tightened by drawingup 011 bolts 31. The brackets 25 which are next to the wall of the refrigerating chamber would in this assembly have the float valve 41 secured thereto before the brackets are put in place, so that when the bolts 31 are drawn up and the pipe connections made, the chilling unit is completed by the attachment of the shroud 12; whereupon the ice drawers 13 and the drip pan 34 are thrust into place. After this the unit is ready to be put into service.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as i1- lustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a chilling unit for mechanical refrigerating systems, the combination comprising an annular cylindrical evaporating chamher, and a brine chamber having a cylindrical outer wall arranged to telescope within said evaporating chamber and an inner wall coacting with said outer wall to form a prismatic chilling space open at one end.

2. In a chilling unit for mechanical refrigerating systems, the combination comprising an evaporating chamber formed of inner and outer cylindrical walls which have their ends drawn together and sealed, and

a removable brine chamber having an outer wall of generally cylindrical contour adapted to engage with the inner cylindrical wall of said evaporating chamber and arranged to be in good heat-conducting relation there with and an inner wall cooperating with said outer wall to form a prismatic chilling space open at one end.

3. In a chilling unit for mechanical refrigerating systems, the combination comprising an evaporating chamber having concentric inner and outer walls, the ends of which are drawn together and sealed, a brine chamber formed with inner and outer walls and an end wall, the outer wall of said brine chamber removably engaging in good heatconducting relation with the inner wall of said evaporating chamber, the inner wall of said brine chamber being arranged to provide a chilling space, andan end plate member on one end of said brine chamber closing said chilling space at one end, the other end. of said chilling space being free for access when said brine chamber is in place in said evaporating chamber.

4. In a chilling unit for mechanical refrigerating systems, the combination comprising an evaporating chamber having concentric inner and outer walls, the ends of which are drawn together and sealed, a brine chamber having a cylindrical outer wall with one side cut away, and an inner wall adapted to enclose a prismatic space, said inner wall having edges adapted to be sealed to the edges of the cylindrical wall where cut away, a generally U-shaped end-plate member uniting said inner and outer walls at one end, and a disc end-plate member closing the other end of said walls, the cylindrical wall of said brine chamber being of a diameter adapted to fit slidingly into the inner wall of said evaporating chamber.

In testimony whereof we aliix our signatures.

JULIUS F. HOLMES. STEPHEN M. MARTIN. 

